Spectacular pearls belonged first to Alice Lady Wernher Mankiewicz.

......Lady Wernher exquisitely dressed as usual and whose pearls were second to none in the room.........

...Lady Wernher's reception at Bath House was a very pleasant affair, and crowds of well-known people were to be seen there. Earlier in the evening Sir Julius and Lady Wernher had a dinner party, at which Lord and Lady Chesterfield and about dozen others were present. All the beautiful reception rooms on the first floor were thrown open. The hostess wore a handsome gown of pale blue -spangled diamonds, and some fine pearls round her neck...

......Sir Julius Lady gave big reception Bath House on Thursday night, and the whole suite of reception rooms were thrown open. The staircase that leadfrom the front door was beautifully decorated with flowers and coloured lights, whilst trails of smilax were most artistically arranged on the lauding which leads into the The hostess wore a beautiful gown of blue satin brocaded with lilies, a diamond tiara, and other lovely jewels.—"Daily Mirror."

.........Lady Wernher, always one of the best-dressed women in London witty, looked particularly well that night her line figure showing to perfection with her moonlight-blue gown and splendid russianshaped diamond coronet.....

.........parties were given to-night in the King’s birthday—Lady Wernher ’s To-night her were thronged with guests in politics and Society, and the jewellery was extraordinary. Lady Wernher is the wife of the Julius Wernher, head of the of Wernher, Beit, and Co. Her one of the finest in Piccadilly, with the rarest pictures, china, s. It has been the scene of many social functions and innumerable formances and fetes. As became a diamond knight, Lady Wernher’s jewels to-night was truly wonderfuly less impressive than her here her ropes of pearls, all of splendour and exquisitely matched in shape. ..........

............Lady Wernher's jewel are magnificent. Scarcely less wonderful than her diamonds are her ropes of pearls, which are of beautiful colour and exquisite size and shape.........

.......Lady Wernher was beautifully dressed in black, with a wide,miniver stole striped with lines of black sable, and she wore superb pearls and mauve orchids in her corsage........

....Ludon Hoo, where King Edward stayed, is some how more in keeping the late Madame de Falbe made it so very magnificent. Lady Wernher last week wore pearls with her black gown worth several kings' ransoms as those things go nowadays, and her diamonds of course are just about beyond price............

..........Lady Wernher's diamond ornaments and ropes of pearls are among the finest in the world...........

Alice Sedgwick née Mankiewicz former wife of Sir Julius Wernher, daughter of James Mankiewicz.

Lady Alice Wernher, as she was known throughout the period of the First World War, was not only the lady of the manor of Luton with her country residence at Luton Hoo.

Alice Sedgewick Mankiewicz, born 1862, was the socialite daughter of Jacob James Mankiewicz, from Danzig. On June 12th, 1888, she married German-born Julius Charles Wernher (born April 9th, 1850), who made his fortune from diamond mines in South Africa. Their London address was Bath House, Piccadilly, where Sir Julius built up a considerable art collection.

The Luton connection began in 1903, when Sir Julius bought Luton Hoo. He had the interior remodelled and extensive modifications made to the exterior, giving the house the look that became familiar to Lutonians until its closure to the public in 1997. But Sir Julius died on May 21st, 1912, and Lady Wernher remained a widow throughout the Great War.

There were three Wernher children - Sir Derrick Julius (June 7th, 1889 - March 6th, 1948), Major-General Sir Harold August (January 16th, 1893 - June 30th, 1973) and Second-lieutenant Alexander Pigott (born January 18th, 1897), who was killed in action with the Welsh Guards at Ginchy on September 10th, 1916, during the battle of the Somme, and was buried in the Citadel Military Cemetery, near Fricourt.

 

Her famous pearls, are from Sir Julius Wernher, which she wore often as a long string seen on the picture above, was left to her Alexandra Anastasia Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn was the eldest daughter of Lt.-Col. Harold Phillips and his wife Georgina Wernher. Her maternal grandmother was Countess Anastasia de Torby, otherwise known as Lady Zia Werner, the daughter of Grand Duke Mikhailovich of Russia and Countess Sophie Merenberg, Countess de Torby.
‘Sacha’ as she was known to family and friends, was a keen philanthropist and founder of the Pushkin prize and the Pushkin Trust, named after her ancestor, the famous Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, who was the grandfather of Countess de Torby.

The threes natural pearl necklaces, offered through the family from the Duchess of Abercorn’s great grandmother Alice Sedgwick Mankiewicz.

 

 

Sources: St. Austell Star Bognor Regis Observer;Manchester Courier and Lancashire General AdvertiserChristie's;LutonHouse, The Hoo;The Tatler;